Members of the diplomatic corps in Pakistan scheduled to attend the inauguration of a tourism project in the northern part of the country were killed on May 8th when a helicopter crashed landed in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. Local media reports say that the diplomatic party included members from 37 countries.

Pakistani Taliban has claimed that militants shot down the helicopter with an anti-aircraft missile. The Pakistan government said the aircraft suffered engine failure. The BBC reported that the area is not a a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).

Among the seven killed in the crash are Philippine Ambassador to Pakistan Domingo Lucenario Jr., Norwegian Ambassador Leif Larsen and the wife of the Malaysian ambassador, Datin Habibah Mahmud and the wife of the Indonesian ambassador, Heri Listyawati Burhan Muhammad. Two pilots and one crew member were also reportedly killed. Those wounded include the ambassador to Pakistan from Poland, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. Reports here via the Express Tribune Pk. The diplomats involved in the crash returned to Islamabad on May 9th, click here for a video via Reuters.
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